Colombia on Monday demanded a contingency plan of U.S. coal mining company Drummond after it revoked its operating license last week in response to an environmentally hazardous spill off the Caribbean coast.
President Juan Manuel Santos echoed his environment minister’s statement that Drummond Company would be suspended indefinitely and declared that the company must present a contingency plan before it could continue operations off of Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
MORE: Colombia suspends operations for US company after coal spill coverup
Colombia’s environmental licensing authority ANLA suspended Drummond Company’s loading license, which permits the physical export of coal from port to ship, after it reported that approximately 500 tons of coal were dumped into the sea. ANLA has documented the action as environmental injustice.
Yet Drummond Company reportedly alleged that it made the decision to dump in an attempt to avoid a drowning barge and the possible loss of lives.
The company reportedly defended its actions in a January 31 statement saying that “international marine protocols emphasize saving human lives first.”